The Curator: Ripper
by atlantiaCAG
Summary: The Curator & Kara find themselves face to face with a person history long thought was dead & gone. Please feel free to review :)
1. Chapter 1

The Curator stood at the control console in the TARDIS. Everything was running smoothly and the journey so far had been perfect. Despite the vow he had said to himself that he would never travel with anyone again he had so far very much enjoyed the company of Kara Grant. They had been together for three weeks so far and they had had a lot of fun. He looked up as Kara walked down the stairs carrying to steaming mugs of tea.

"You read my mind." The Curator said as he took a mug from her.

"For someone who had never had tea until you met me you've got quite a taste for it now." Kara replied with a smile.

"It must be the way you make it." The Curator replied with a smile.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked.

"You can ask me any question you want." he replied.

"Why the Curator? How did you end up with that name?"

"I chose it." he replied.

"Why?"

"When I was growing up my favourite place on Galifray was the Time Lord museum. I could spend all day in there just looking through all the artifacts. Truthfully I chose it because I always wanted to work there. To be the curator of such a beautiful place would have been a dream come true."

"But it never happened." Kara replied.

"No it didn't. I time travelled for the first time and I became addicted. I thought that with a life span as long as a Time Lord has there would always be time later. Then the war happened and the rest as they say is history."

"Is that why you have the control room like this?" she asked.

"Yes. I love literature and historical artifacts. I thought that I could make my own museum."

"Another personal question. How many times have you regenerated?" she asked.

"I haven't, this is my original form and not a bad form it is even if I do say so myself." he said with a chuckle.

"So where are you taking me next?" she asked. She still had so many questions she wanted, no she needed to ask but they would get more and more personal and she thought they'd be better asked when they had known each other for longer.

"We are going to London." The Curator replied.

"Again?!" Kara exclaimed.

"Yes but this time to the year 3124. I have some business to attend to. Once I've done that we're going to the planet of Clearfell. The place is one giant holiday resort, you name it they have it to do."

"Sounds fun, I can work on my tan."

"Indeed." The Curator replied.

"So what is the business you need to attend to? If you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind you asking at all. I have to meet up with one of the other Time Lords I came through with, his name is the Messenger. He has been looking for a piece of equipment that I need."

"Will I get to meet all the Time Lords?"

"Eventually. The two I see most often are the Stationmaster and the Warden. The Stationmaster was the commanding officer of our unit during the war. He was my mentor I owe him everything. The Warden and I were his lieutenants."

"I bet there are some stories to tell." Kara said with a smile.

"There most certainly are and I'm sure one day you'll hear them all." The Curator replied with a smile.

Moments later the Curator clapped his hands together as the TARDIS fell silent, "We're here." he said with a smile. He put his hand in his pocket and took out two items. The first was a small rectangular bar of silver and he handed it to her.

"What's this?" Kara asked.

"That is basically a credit card. If there's anything you want while we're here you'll be able to buy it."

"What's my limit?" Kara asked with a smile.

"There isn't one." The Curator replied. He then handed her the next item, a small silver key, "This is the most important thing I'll ever give you. This is a key to the TARDIS."

"Seriously?" she said completely taken a back.

"Very. You need to be able to get in here in case we ever get separated."

She looked at the key in her hand, it was the final piece that made her feel as though she truly belonged.

"Thank you." she said clasping the key in her hand before she hugged him.

The Curator smiled, "You are very welcome indeed. Now I think it's time to get this trip over and done with."

He took hold of Kara's hand. They walked down the stairs and over the gantry to the TARDIS doors. The Curator opened them and they both stepped outside.

"Welcome to London." The Curator said.

Kara couldn't believe her eyes. The buildings around them reached up far into the clouds. All around them were humans and aliens going about their business, some she recognised and others she had never seen before. Cars and transports whizzed around them and high up into the sky.

"And I thought London was busy in my day!" Kara said.

"That's the thing with London, it only ever gets busier!" The Curator replied.

The Curator began to lead Kara through the crowds of people. Passing through the streets before turning down an alley way and stopping by a thick metal grated door. The Curator reached into his pocket and took out his sonic screwdriver and passed it over a hidden control panel.

"Only the nine of us Time Lords know this is here and only we can get in." The Curator said.

As he put his screwdriver away the door opened with a loud metal clang. He opened it and stood to one side.

"After you." The Curator said.

Kara felt excited that she was going to meet yet another Time Lord and walked inside. The Curator closed the heavy door and they both walked up a very long staircase to a massive open planned room. There were bits of machinery all over the place. Tools scattered around the place and sitting in the middle of the room a TARDIS that looked like it had seen better days.

"Hello." The Curator shouted.

They both heard movement coming from somewhere but there was so much stuff everywhere neither of them could see where it was coming from. Suddenly from out of nowhere a man who in human years would have looked in his 70s appeared. He was wearing a tattered pair of overalls. His white hair was a mess on his head and he was covered in oil stains. He held an old revolver out in front of him.

"Who are you!" The Messenger exclaimed.

"Surely you haven't forgotten old man, I haven't even regenerated!" The Curator said.

With his free hand he reached into a top pocket and took out a pair of cracked spectacles.

"Not you boy, her!" The Messenger shouted, his hand shaking.

"Messenger this is my travelling companion Kara Grant. Kara Grant, this is The Messenger who appears to have lost his bloody marbles!"

"I'm 3,000 years old and I've had eleven regenerations, show some bloody respect boy." The Messenger replied putting his revolver down onto the table next to him, "Pleased to meet you Kara. I'd ask you how you got to know him, but honestly I couldn't care less." He turned and walked away from them.

The Curator let out a little laugh and signalled to Kara to follow him.

"Quite the charmer isn't he?" Kara said with a chuckle.

"I heard that." he bellowed from in front of them.

He stopped at a storage locker by the side of his TARDIS.

"I hate to ask but when did you go through regenerations 8 through 11? It's only been what, twenty years since I last say you." The Curator said.

"That blasted thing." The Messenger said kicking his TARDIS, "I had a mishap and before I could get back to the safety of my home I'd gone through four regenerations in seven days."

"What the hell did you do to your TARDIS to make that happen?" The Curator replied.

"You know me I like to tinker and well she didn't like what I'd done." The Messenger said, "Take a look."

The Curator opened the door on the old grey box. Inside was utter destruction. The control room was a quarter of the size of his. The Control console looked like half of it had exploded and the other half taken apart. There were burn marks and evidence of explosions everywhere.

"I'm not going to even ask." The Curator said closing the door. "You need to be more careful though, the last thing we need is for you to go through the last two of your regenerations and then get yourself killed."

"Well that's why you've come for this." The Messenger replied handing the Curator a small box, "So I don't have to worry about only having two more regenerations."

The Curator smiled as he took the box, "Thank you old man, we're one step closer now."

"Now go, leave me to my work and do me one favour." The Messenger said.

"And what would that be?"

"Regenerate, so I don't have to look at that smug face again!"


	2. Chapter 2

Kara took a sip from her drink and watched The Curator. He was just staring into space but she could tell he was very deep in thought. They sat in a restaurant, the origin of which Kara still hadn't managed to figure out.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Kara said.

The Curator snapped out of his daze, "Sorry yes, I was just thinking." he replied.

"Anything important?"

"Yes very." he replied.

Kara just looked at him, waiting for him to speak again.

"Oh sorry, yes it's to do with the object The Messenger found for me."

"What is it?" Kara replied.

"It's part of a group of objects that when I connect them to my TARDIS I'll be able to go somewhere that to be honest I really don't want to go, but lives depend on me going."

"Dare I ask?"

"The Time War. Another Time Lord called The Doctor he ended it, he managed to freeze Gallifray in a moment. It was put into a pocket universe which until recently the location of has been a mystery. We managed to find it, but as only he can bring it back we can't unfreeze it. But there's a small part of it where part of time survived. I need to go back in there to get something. I have unlimited regenerations but my friends don't. The man who knows how to remove the regeneration cap is inside and I need to go and find out how he removed it."

"And he'll just tell you?" Kara replied.

"I highly doubt it, but he will tell me. One of the Time Lords I've mentioned before, the Stationmaster, he has had his last regeneration. I need to get in there before he needs to regenerate again." the Curator replied.

"Do you know where the other two objects you need are?"

"Personally no. The Messenger thinks he knows where he can find one of them, that's one of the skills he has, he can find almost anything, that is when he's not wasting his lives. The Warden has an idea where the other is. We my dear are going to Clearfell."

…...

They walked through the crowds of people on the way back to the TARDIS. Kara stopped when they walked past a book shop.

"Curator!" she said.

He stopped just in front of her and turned.

"I want to go in here, there's something I want to look for."

"Do you remember your way back?" The Curator asked.

Kara nodded, "I do."

"Then I'll see you shortly." he replied smiling at her.

She looked up at the huge shop in front of her and walked inside. The shop itself was massive, twelve floors with books from every alien race. A shop assistant walked over to the overwhelmed Kara.

"Can I help you?" the smiling woman asked.

"Erm yes, I'm looking for biographies, British Prime Ministers." Kara replied.

The woman smiled, "Of course, you need to be on the 7th floor section 25. Books on every Prime Minister since the 20th century can be found there."

"Thank you." Kara replied before heading off.

When she reached where she needed to be it took her five minutes to find the books she was looking for. In her hands looking up at her smiling was a photograph of her sister. Kara smiled and wiped a tear from her cheek. She picked up the three other different books about her and looked for a place to pay.

…...

As the Curator stepped into the TARDIS he walked over to one of the many shelves containing many different artefacts. He climbed one of the huge spiral staircases. He stopped 70ft from the ground and reached into his jacket pocket and took out his sonic screwdriver. He waved it across the back of the shelf and a hidden safe appeared. The Time Lord opened it and inside were five other boxes exactly the same as the one in his hand. He placed the box inside and smiled to himself, two more to go.

An hour later the Curator sat on the steps leading up to the console holding a book the no matter how much he looked at the pages he wasn't reading them. He looked at his watch, Kara had been too long, he decided it was time to go looking for her. He placed the book down next to him and walked for the door. As he reached the door he reached for the handles and stopped when he heard four knocks. He opened the door.

"Kara have you lost your key already?" as he stepped out he stopped when he saw three men standing in front of him in the shadows. A man who looked like he should belong in the 18th century stepped out of the shadows with a truly evil smile on his face.

"Who are you?" The Curator said.

The man still smiled, "My name is Jack and you are The Curator."

The Curator was momentarily taken a back but he refused to let it show, "How do you know my name?"

"I know everything about you Time Lord. The race who gave me life again told me everything and that is why I'm going to need your assistance."

"And I'm going to help you because?" The Curator replied.

"I take it you know the history of Jack the Ripper?" Jack said still smiling that evil smile.

"Oh yes and how his murder spree was ended by the legendary Madame Vastra." The Curator replied with a smile.

"Yes she did stop me. But my friends brought me back."

"You think you're Jack the Ripper?"

Jack chuckled, "Not the original, I'm his clone, I have all his memories, all his urges and oh yes I have your companion."

The Curator's smile fell and was replaced with a look of utter anger.

"It would be wise for you to return her to me at once." The Curator said angrily.

Jack chuckled.

"If you know everything about me then you'll know what I did during the Time War and why pissing me off is the worse thing you can do for your own health. I don't care who you are if you hurt Kara I will bring upon you such horrors the things you've done will seem like child's play."

Jack let out a laugh, "Oh I'm sure you will. Believe me Curator as long as you do as I say she will be left completely unharmed. If you don't, you'll be finding parts of her scattered across the universe."

"How do I know she's even still alive?" The Curator said feeling the anger inside him getting stronger and stronger.

Jack reached into his pocket and took out a small tablet. He typed something in and waited a few moments.

"Mr Meratt please put our guest on the screen." Jack said.

Moments later he the tablet to face The Curator. On the screen he saw Kara strapped to a table looking utterly terrified.

The Curator grabbed Jack by the wrist twisted him around and grabbed him by the throat and began to squeeze. Jack was utterly amazed by the speed and strength of the Time Lord. The two other men appeared from the shadows and pointed their guns at the Curator who ignored them completely.

"If I do what you want you will give her to me, if there is so much as a scratch on her you'll wish you'd never been created." The Curator whispered into Jack's ear with venomous hatred. After a few moments he let go of Jack and pushed him away.

Jack coughed as he sucked down air. The Curator straightened his suit before he spoke again.

"What do you want me to do?" The Curator asked.

"I want you to take your time machine and I want you to bring me Madame Vastra, this time I want to eat her." Jack said, "Once you've delivered her to me, I'll give your Kara back to you."


	3. Chapter 3

The Curator stood outside 13 Paternoster Row. As Victorian London went about it's business behind him, he took a deep breath and approached the blue front door. He straightened his tie before knocking on the door. He listened and could hear heavy footsteps coming to the door. Moments later it opened and standing in front of the Curator was a Sontaran dressed as a butler. They both looked at each other for a few moments before the Sontaran spoke.

"What do you want?" he asked.

The Curator smiled, "I request an audience with Madame Vastra." he said.

The Sontaran looked at him for a moment, "Why?" he said simply.

"Because I have a matter of life and death to speak with her about."

The Sontaran sighed, "Very well come in. Should you make a scene or act incorrectly you will be obliterated."

"That sounds fair." The Curator replied with a smile.

The Sontaran was taken a back by this reply, "Who should I say wishes to speak with her."

"The Curator."

"Wait here." he said as he waddled off, muttering something under his breath as he walked.

The large hall way was immaculately kept. Newspaper cuttings in frames were hung on the walls. All detailing murderers being caught and unexplained things that had happened. A rack of impressive swords sat on top of a table too.

"Follow me, Madame Vastra will see you." the Sontaran said as he reappeared.

He led the Curator through the house to what seemed like a huge greenhouse which was attached to the back of the house. Madame Vastra sat in a large chair with a black veil covering her face. A young human woman standing to her left.

"Sit there Curator."

The Curator sat in the empty chair that faced Vastra.

"Strax here says that you need to speak to me about a life and death situation?"

"I do indeed Madame, thank you for agreeing to speak to me." The Curator replied.

"You don't seem phased by a Sontaran?" Vastra said.

"He's not the first one I've seen." The Curator replied.

While he could only just make out Vastra's eyes he could tell that piece of news intrigued her.

"Before we speak of your problem I must ask, what sort of name is The Curator? I'm starting to think you're not of this world." Vastra said.

The Curator smiled, "That would be correct." he paused for a moment, "The Curator is the name I chose for myself, much like the Doctor chose his."

There was an audible gasp from Vastra and the human woman.

"You're claiming to be a Time Lord? Impossible, they're all dead."

"That's what we want everyone to think. The Doctor wasn't the only one who escaped the Time War. Myself and eight others did too."

Vastra nodded to Strax and before the Curator could respond the Sontaran jabbed him with a syringe and took some of the Time Lord's DNA.

"Ouch." The Curator said.

"It's the only way for us to see if what you're saying is the truth." Vastra replied.

Strax walked over to Vastra and handed her the syringe. She looked at the small electronic readout screen on it before looking up.

"Why has the Doctor never mentioned you?" Vastra asked.

"Because he doesn't know we survived." The Curator replied, "And for now that's how it needs to stay. I know the three of you are friends of his and I need you not to tell him."

"Why?" Vastra replied.

"That's not important right now, I'll tell you another time, right now I need you to trust me and I need your help." the Curator said.

"Very well. Tell me what you need my help with."

"You killed Jack the Ripper?"

"Yes."

"Well he's back, or should I say a clone of him is in the year 3124. Someone, I don't yet know who has brought him back."

"And you need my help to stop him?"

"Yes. I travel with a human woman named Kara Grant."

Kara's name received a noticeable reaction from Strax.

"Yes Strax THE Kara Grant, it's another long story. He has her."

"Then I'm afraid Curator that she is dead." Vastra replied.

"No she's not. He has her captive. You see he has all of the real Jack's memories. He told me that unless I bring you to him, she will die."

Vastra lunged out of her chair and flew across to the Curator, her veil over her head now to reveal her Silurian features for the first time. The Curator didn't even flinch or leave her gaze.

"You want to give him me for her?" Vastra snarled.

The Curator nodded, "Yes and no. There's no way I would give you to him for him to kill you. But I need you to come with me to make him think that."

Vastra calmed down and took her chair again.

"You are very brave Time Lord. Surely he will be expecting you to double cross him?"

"That's where Strax and your lovely wife, hello Jenny, come into play. I'm guessing that he knows nothing about the two of you. While I take you to him, Strax and Jenny go and find Kara. Once she's safe, you can eat Jack the Ripper for a second time."

"And why would I take that risk?"

"Because if you don't Kara will die and when I seek vengeance, should I die before I can regenerate, so do all the other Time Lords, including your friend the Doctor."

"You place a lot of importance upon yourself."

"That's because I know the bigger picture. Madame Vastra I will beg you if I need too, but please come with me."

Vastra looked at The Curator as if trying to gauge him.

"Before I go anywhere with you I want to know why I shouldn't tell the Doctor about you and why your life is so important."

The Curator sighed and then gave in and began to tell her, "During the Time War I had a reputation for being able to get tricky missions done. At the end The President found out what the Doctor was planning to do. He summoned me for one last job. He asked me to kill the Doctor. My payment for doing this was the restriction on my regenerations was removed, I can regenerate an infinite amount of times. He gave me the payment up front. Of course I never had any intention of killing him. I went and found him and told him what I had been asked to do and to tell him that he needed to watch his back. In return he told me that he was going to end the Time War and I didn't have much time to escape. I went back to the unit I was part of and told them what was going to happen. The nine of us managed to escape just in time and we went our separate ways. Our commanding officer is called the Stationmaster, I owe him all my lives many times over. He has had his last regeneration, the next time he needs to regenerate he will simply die and I cannot let that happen. It turns out the Doctor didn't destroy our people as he thought for a very long time. He froze Gallifrey in a single moment and put it in a pocket universe. We managed to find it. There is a part of it where time continued and that is where we need to go."

"So why not tell him, he'll help!" Jenny said, speaking for the first time.

"If the Doctor finds out before we can get in there and he brings our home back, time will re-synch itself and I will lose my chance to get what I need. When I'm done then I'll tell him where it is as he is the only one who can bring it back.."

Vastra looked at him, deep in thought.

"Madame Vastra what would you do to keep those you cared about most alive and safe?" The Curator replied.

"Very well, I agree to all of your requests." Vastra replied.

"May I say something?" Strax asked.

"Of course." Vastra and the Curator both said in unison.

"If this is the Kara Grant you claim it to be, how do you think she will react to being rescued by a Sontaran?"

"That's why I would like Jenny to go with you. That way she'll know you're there to help her and she probably won't try to kill you." the Curator replied.

"Probably?!" Strax exclaimed. "I'll get the grenades!"


	4. Chapter 4

Kara lay in a dark room. Even though her eyes had become accustomed the dark she still couldn't make out much of the room. She had tried to get free of the straps around her wrists and ankles but she couldn't budge them. Kara could feel the switch-blade in the ankle of her right boot but there was no way she could get to it. She had given up wasting all her energy struggling against the restraints and lay still. She knew that either the Curator would come bursting through the door to rescue her any time soon or she was going to die.

As she heard the door in the corner of the room open she tried to turn to see but it was too far out of her line of sight. She could hear footsteps getting closer and closer to her. They stopped for a moment and then started again along with what sounded like a chair being dragged towards her. Moments later a man in his thirties sat himself along side her. He smiled at her and looked her up and down for a few moments.

"I want to first apologise for your current situation. But it's necessary until your friend comes back."

Kara didn't say anything in response, she didn't care what this man had to say.

"My name is Jack. I already know all about you. Lieutenant Kara Grant, the woman your history has marked as dead. That's something we both have in common. I'm sorry it has come to this but it was the only way I would have been able to get the Curator to help me."

"You know he'll be coming for me." Kara said.

"Oh I know he is. He's gone to get something for me. As soon as he comes back, as long as he does everything I say, I'll be letting you go so you can get back to your travels." Jack replied.

Kara ignored her captor, hoping if she did he would just go away.

"So how much do you know about the Curator?" he asked.

"Enough." she replied.

"So there's nothing you want to know more of? Nothing that you dare not ask him?"

Kara turned to look at him.

"Because if there is anything you do want to know, just ask. I know everything there is to know." he said with a smile.

"Are you another Time Lord?" Kara asked.

Jack laughed and shook his head, "No I'm no Time Lord. My employer I suppose you'd call him, he knows the Curator very well. Anything he didn't know, his, men I suppose you'd call them, found out the rest. Did you know he was a mass murderer?"

Kara turned to face him, "I don't believe you." Kara replied.

"I'm not surprised he hasn't told you that part of his past. He hasn't mentioned the 'Event' yet? He and his friends the Stationmaster and the Warden, oh they did get up to some terrible things back in the day."

"Whatever he did I'm sure he had his reasons. Until he tells me, I don't care what you have to say." Kara replied.

"Tell that to the hundreds of thousands of people who died that day. They murdered an entire race of people. In one afternoon they committed genocide and they never even answered for it. Oh I'm sure there were reasons, not like with me." he said with an evil laugh.

Kara looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"I was brought back to life after thousands of years of being dead. But while I was alive people feared me. The mere mention of my name made people cower in the shadows. It's because of this that your Curator will do everything I ask of him. Because he knows exactly who I am."

"And who are you?" Kara asked.

"I was known, back in my prime as Jack the Ripper." he said with a smile of pure evil, "And there it is. That look, the look that I've missed all these years. You have no idea the self restraint it's taking not to gut you as you lie there. To cut out your insides and play with them as you die in front of me. To not scatter your remains across the universe for the Curator to find." He ran a finger down her arm as he spoke, "But I must be patient, because the reward for leaving you alive is so much bigger. When I have the woman who killed me at my mercy, the thought of her begging me for death, well it would be too much to lose." he took his hand away from her. He stood up from his chair and took a step back away from Kara.

"Stay away from me." Kara yelled.

"As long as your Time Lord does as he's told then you have nothing to fear from me. But one thing I would ask of you Miss Grant, find out more about the man you travel with. You may find he's far more of a monster than I ever was."

As Jack turned and walked away Kara began to cry. She knew the Curator wasn't a monster, he couldn't be? She couldn't be that wrong about a person, she just couldn't.

…...

The Curator readied himself in his TARDIS as he waited for the Paternoster Gang to arrive. He opened a small cupboard under the giant stairs in the console room and took out an old trunk. He kneeled down in front of it and took a deep breath before he opened it. He looked down and saw the armour he had worn during the war. He hadn't seen it in a very long time. He took it out and put it onto the ground. Next he took out a large knife and slid it out of it sheath. The ten inch blade looked as sharp as he remembered it. He ran his thumb down the blade and it sliced through the skin. He licked the blood off his thumb and then looked at it as a small amount of golden regeneration energy healed the cut. The Curator put the knife back into it's sheath before clipping it onto his belt. Then he took out one more thing, the side arm that had saved his life during many battles with Daleks. After checking the energy pack was still full he clipped the holster to the other side of his belt and put the gun into it before placing the armour back into the trunk, standing and doing his jacket up. He was going to get Kara back no matter what happened. He wanted to find out who had brought Jack back, if he got the chance he would do whatever it took. If he had more time he would have called on the Stationmaster and the Warden for help, but they needed to go as soon as possible.

As he walked back to the TARDIS console the doors opened and in walked Vastra, Jenny and Strax. All kitted out and ready for what was to come.

"Oh my, it's very different to the Doctor's TARDIS." Jenny said.

"They tend to show some of the Time Lord's personality." the Curator replied.

"Very impressive." Vastra said.

"I just wanted to say thank you to you all. Without your help Kara would be dead. I just want you all to know, whatever happens, I will be forever in your debt." The Curator said.

"We shall retrieve your boy and keep him in one piece for you Time Lord, while crushing our enemies on the battlefield." Strax said, the excitement evident in his voice.

"If we can I need to try and find out who brought Jack back. There's a much bigger picture here and I need to know what it is."

"We will get to the bottom of what has happened here. I want to know who brought Jack the Ripper back myself." Vastra replied.

The Curator walked over the the console and began to input their destination.

"Lets get this over with." he said.


End file.
